Homiclophobia (fear of fog): symptoms, causes and treatment

This phobia is linked to a natural phenomenon that generates a lot of anxiety in some people.

Homiclophobia, or nebulaphobia, is the persistent and intense fear of fog.. It is a specific type of phobia that can be related to the media transmission of dangerous situations, where fog is presented recurrently. It may also be caused by previous unpleasant experiences related to this natural phenomenon.

Next we will see what homiclophobia is, what are some of its main characteristics as well as its possible causes and treatment.

Homiclophobia: persistent fear of fog.

Homiclophobia, also known as nebulaphobia, is the persistent and intense fear of fog. Being a fear provoked by exposure to a stimulus specific to nature, homiclophobia can be considered a phobia specific to the natural environment. can be considered a specific type of phobia of the natural environment..

As with other phobias of a specific type, homiclophobia is characterized by a fear that is determined and easily distinguishable from others. In this sense, unlike a social phobia, specific phobia does not usually extend to many stimuli beyond the main trigger, in this case fog.

However, B (2005) tells us that the development of a specific phobia to a certain stimulus increases the chances of developing another phobia to a very similar stimulus. Likewise, increases the probability of having fears to various stimuli, even if they are not necessarily phobic.stimuli, even if they are not necessarily phobic.

Finally, homiclophobia can be part of a broader clinical picture, for example, a social phobia or a generalized anxiety disorder. That is to say, it can manifest itself as one of the elements that surround a wide spectrum of stress experiences to different stimuli, a matter that is important to take into account for its definition.

Before explaining some of its possible causes, we begin by briefly describing the natural phenomenon of fog.

What is fog?

Broadly speaking, fog is the result of snow that forms at low altitude, close to ground level. Similarly, fog can be generated as a result of steam emanating from the groundThe fog is the result of an accumulation of water at a higher temperature than that of the surrounding air.

Thus, fog is not by itself a potentially harmful or hazardous element for any organism. However, depending on the circumstances experienced, fog may represent a stimulus that triggers alarm or even excessive fear.

Symptoms

As with all phobias, this fear is experienced in a persistent and irrational way, meaning that it cannot be explained.This means that it is not explained by the cultural codes of the environment in which one lives.

The exaggerated experience of fear translates into a momentary state of anxiety, with its corresponding physiological response: dizziness, hyperventilation, cardiac agitation, excessive sweating, among others. In a more acute anxiety experience, homiclophobia can also provoke a panic attack.

Possible Causes.

As with other types of specific phobias, homiclophobia is a phenomenon with multiple causes. In the specific case of persistent fear of fog, one of the triggering elements may be prolonged exposure to media or movies, where risk situations are frequently where risk situations are frequently presented in darkness, and even in fog. This can generate some imaginary that finally favor the association between fog and imminent danger.

On the other hand, phobias can be provoked or intensified by real (not imagined), previous or present exposure to dangerous situations where the stimulus is involved.

For example, fog is a natural phenomenon that occurs in many places of frequent traffic. On many of the highways that connect large cities, fog is one of the most commonIn most of the highways that connect the big cities, fog is one of the most present elements.

Depending on the time of year, the altitude and the specific area where it occurs, the density of the fog may be higher or lower, and can significantly affect the driver's vision. For the same reason, and in spite of being harmless by itself, fog is one of the natural phenomena most related to traffic accidents. A previous experience of this type may be related to the development of this phobia.

Treatment

The general treatment of phobias can resort to different strategies. One of them is to favor the creation of new associations about the stimulus that is perceived as noxious. Another is to to approach it progressively, by means of brief approaches that increase with the passage of time.. It is also possible to reinforce the emotional schemes of coping with situations that generate stress.

In the specific case of homiclophobia, it is important to delimit whether this comes from a real or imaginary experience of imminent danger related to fog. In case it is an experience that has actually occurred, another strategy is to avoid exposing oneself alone to fog, either by car or on foot, as well as to look for some alternatives to such exposure.

Conversely, if it is an imagined danger, it is important to explore other elements that relate to situations where fog is present and find out if it is a more complex or extensive fear.

Bibliographic references:

• Fear of Stuff (2016). Fear of Fog. Flex Mag. retrieved September 04, 2018. Available at http://www.fearofstuff.com/nature/fear-of-fog/
• Homichlophobia (2007). Common-Phobias.com. Retrieved August 04, 2018. Available at http://common-phobias.com/Homichlo/phobia.htm
• Bados, A. (2005). Specific phobias. Faculty of Psychology, University of Barcelona. Retrieved September 04, 2018. Available at http://diposit.ub.edu/dspace/bitstream/2445/360/1/113.pdf.